Supporting bracket



Dec.- 9, 1947.

T. w. KERR 2,432,241

SUPPORTING BRACKET Filed June 18, 1946 [NVEN TOR.

ghwdamnmrr Arromy Patented Dec. 9, 1947 SUPPORTING BRACKET Theodore W. Kerr, West Hollywood, Calif, as-

signor to E. E. Kotkin, do ng business as Plastics Process Company, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application June 18, 1946, Serial No. 677,494

3 Claims. 1

My invention relates to brackets and more particularly to brackets intended to support a flat object such as a shelf engaged thereby, and has as a principal object the provision of a bracket of simple and inexpensive construction so formed as to be able to securely hold a shelf or like object without the use of clamps, retaining flanges or other added holding means.

A further object of my invention is to provide a bracket in which a simple strip of suitable material is so formed as to constitute a truss for the support of a shelf and coincidentally to limit end motion of the shelf and to provide end guards for articles thereon.

Another object is to provide a bracket wherein utility and pleasing appearance are interrelated and a slight flexing of graceful curves produces a clamping action upon the object supported. Still another object is to provide a bracket which may be reversed without sacrifice of ornamental or functional characteristics.

How the above, as well as other objects and advantages of my invention, are attained will be readily understood by reference to the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrative of the manner in which my invention may be used to support a shelf;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the bracket shown at the left in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevation as viewed on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, a wall and a supported shelf being shown in section; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating a reversed position of the bracket.

With reference to the details of the drawings, Ill indicates a strip of relatively rigid material having end portions II and I2 adapted to engage a wall or other surface I3 and having holes I 4 by which the strip may be attached to such surface by attaching devices I5. The central portion I6 of the strip I is bent outwardly from the surface I3 at the end portion I2, and the outward apex I1 of the portion I6 is inclined toward the end portion I I, so that the portion of the strip ID from adjacent the apex I! to the end portion II intersects a straight line at three points, of which one is preferably at the apex IT or closely adjacent thereto, and is divided into intercepts I8 and I9. The line so intersected is preferably normal to the surface I3 but may be at a slight inclination thereto if desired for reasons presently to be explained.

At the three stated points of intersection, the strip I0 is provided with marginal recesses or slots 20, formed therein so as to have their margins substantially parallel with the intersected line, and thereby adapted jointly to receive the edge of the shelf or like flat object 2 I, which may be supported, as illustrated, by two such strips having their slots 20 in their opposed margins.

The strip Ill may be made of metal or of ornamental plastic such as Lucite, and is preferably of sufficient flexibility to allow a slight springiness in the central portion I6. If the shelf 2! is so thin as not to be tightly held by the slots 2|], the end portions I I and I2 may be sprung either towards each other or away from each other and fastened in such sprung position. As the distortion from normal shape so produced will be distributed along the central portion I5 it will cause distortion of the slots 20 from their normal alignment on the line of intersection, now defined and illustrated by the edge of the shelf 2!, and from their parallelism thereto, causing them to clamp tightly upon the shelf. When the strip IEI is so clamped upon the shelf 2I either normally or by distortion, the intercepts I8 and I9 form with the shelf a rigid truss supported by the end portions I I and I2 and supporting the shelf firmly at three points.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4 the strip III is reversible relative to the shelf 2|, the two strips which jointly support the shelf being of course interchanged in such reversal. It will be seen that the truss formed by the intercepts I8 and I9 exists in either of these reversed positions, and

that the intercept I8 extends above the shelf in one position, formin an end guard for articles upon the shelf, while the intercept I9 and end portion I2 act as end guards in the other position. The inner margins of slots 20 further act to prevent end-wise movement of the shelf 2I without added fastenings for that purpose.

Having now described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention fully capable of accomplishing the objects thereof, I wish it understood that changes may be made in the structure and arrangement herein shown and described for illustrative purposes without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. As a supporting bracket, a stripof relatively rigid material having end portions parallel and in one plane, and a central portion having three recesses in one lateral margin, said strip being of such conformation that said recesses lie on a line substantially normal to said plane, the lateral margins of said recesses being substantially parallel to said line and adapted thereby to receive jointly the margin of a thin flat object.

2. As a supporting bracket, a strip of relatively rigid material having end portions parallel and in one plane, and having opening means receptive to attaching devices, and a central portion having three recesses in one lateral margin, said strip being of such conformation that said recesses lie on a line substantially normal to said plane, the lateral margins of said recesses being substantially parallel to said line and adapted thereby to receive jointly the margin of a shelf, said'strip being sufficiently flexible to permit distortion of said central portion to move said recesses from said line into bearing position upon a shelf thinner than the width of said recesses.

3. As a supporting bracket, a strip of relatively rigid material having end portions adapted to engage a supporting surface and a central portion intersecting at three points a line normal to said surface, said central portion having slots at said three points adapted to receive jointly the margin of a thin flat object.

THEODORE W. KERR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 891,538 Greenman June 23, 1908 2,206,588 Tritt July 2, 1940 

